Each day after practice, the routine is the same. Katie Lou Samuelson practices her outside shot, one after another after another.

"Just repetition," said Samuelson, a UConn sophomore.

For a player who relies on her outside shot and who uses the three-pointer as an important part of her game, the daily drill is mandatory. When Samuelson broke a bone in her left foot in the national semifinal game in April, she was sidelined and unable to practice for an extended period.

When she finally returned to the court in early summer, reclaiming the mechanics of her shot took some time. Eventually, though, she rediscovered the shot through repetition, and she is about to embark on her second season at UConn with a definite sense of confidence.

"I'm in a really good place," Samuelson said at First Night last week. I'm just really happy about how everything is going right now."

That's good news for the four-time reigning national champion Huskies, who will rely on Samuelson to provide offense this season. With the team's three leading scorers gone, Samuelson (11 points per game) is the top returning scorer.

Coming to UConn as the top recruit in the country, Samuelson needed time to get acclimated. UConn, of course, had a deep and experienced roster, enabling Samuelson to ease into college life.

But it all started to click in January. Samuelson steadily improved, and her three-pointing shooting became a vital part of UConn's offense as the team headed into the postseason. She averaged close to 15 points in her final 12 games and was shooting better than 50 percent on three-pointers in her final 10 games before the injury kept her out of the national title game.

Samuelson was distraught when she was hurt in the semifinal. But her team — notably, Breanna Stewart — rallied around her. Samuelson now says she turned the setback into a positive experience.

"Obviously I would rather have not gotten hurt but it has pushed me forward so quickly and made me change so many things and how I act and how everything I do, I'm more confident," Samuelson said. "I think I pushed myself to get there quicker because I knew that I lost that month. So I think that it really just pushed me to work harder. I'm just looking at it as a good thing now. I'm not going to focus on the negative about it."

The remedy for rustiness was to just practice. A lot.

"[Taking shots] almost every single day," Samuelson said. "For me, I have to shoot every day after practice. … That's a big thing for me, that I know after practice I'm going to get my shots up just so I feel comfortable. It might just be a mental thing for myself, but that's what I think works for me."

At 6 feet 3, Samuelson is capable of scoring from multiple spots on the floor, and she can present matchup problems. Coach Geno Auriemma was continually asked last week about replacing Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson.

Samuelson, he said, is an obvious candidate to provide offense.

"Because she played the most out of everybody else and is capable of doing a lot of things, [but she] is going to have to do more," Auriemma said. "There's a void. When you take away all your points, all your rebounds, all your assists, all your blocked shots, all your defense from your team, there's a void.

"When we're in our offensive sets and we're doing things, the ball is going to end up somewhere. Somebody's going to shoot it. And generally speaking, certain players gravitate toward the ball more so than others. And you're going to find that Lou is going to get a lot of shots because she's all over the court and she can score from a lot of places."

Samuelson, who started 21 of the last 22 games, is relishing the opportunity. It was clear last season that she loves to shoot, calling for the ball from behind the arc on one possession after another. In high school, she averaged 24.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif.

But it took months before she felt comfortable as a freshman. This year, she knows what to expect. There have been no surprises in the first few practices, and she has become the player offering advice to the freshmen, just as Stewart mentored her last season. Stewart, she said, would take her to dinner when she sensed Samuelson was in a funk.

"I had quite a roller coaster freshman year and a slower start than I wanted to," Samuelson said. "Having done that, I can kind of help the freshmen if they start to go through a funk like that or try to help them not experience that. If I can help them get over the hump quicker, that's what I'm going to try and do my best at this year."

With the leadership roles come a level of pressure. Samuelson said she and her teammates know they have a target on their backs because the word "UConn" is on the front of their jerseys and they have a chip on their shoulders because expectations may be down, given the players who have graduated.

It's fueling the team. And with a year behind her, Samuelson is ready to embrace a more significant spot on and off the court.

"I am more excited," Samuelson said. "I know I have a bigger role. I'm happy to have it, so if it is pressure, I'm glad it's there."

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Witht he addition of the AAC games on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, the UConn women's basketball schedule is now set.

Witht he addition of the AAC games on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, the UConn women's basketball schedule is now set.

CAPTION

Witht he addition of the AAC games on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, the UConn women's basketball schedule is now set.

Witht he addition of the AAC games on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, the UConn women's basketball schedule is now set.

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On Friday, Sept. 8, Rebecca Lobo will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Lobo's high school coach, Jim Vincent, a high school teammate, Marcy Coviello, and her father, Dennis Lobo, reflect on Lobo's formative years and all she has accomplished.

On Friday, Sept. 8, Rebecca Lobo will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Lobo's high school coach, Jim Vincent, a high school teammate, Marcy Coviello, and her father, Dennis Lobo, reflect on Lobo's formative years and all she has accomplished.

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At the Haggar Enshrinement press conference at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. on Thursday, UConn women's basketball great Rebecca Lobo speaks about growing up just miles away from the hall of fame. Lobo is one of eleven inductees in the class of 2017 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. The Enshrinement ceremony is Friday evening.

At the Haggar Enshrinement press conference at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. on Thursday, UConn women's basketball great Rebecca Lobo speaks about growing up just miles away from the hall of fame. Lobo is one of eleven inductees in the class of 2017 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. The Enshrinement ceremony is Friday evening.

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UConn sophomore guard Crystal Dangerfield talks about lessons learned during her freshman year and advice she has for the four incoming freshmen.

UConn sophomore guard Crystal Dangerfield talks about lessons learned during her freshman year and advice she has for the four incoming freshmen.

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UConn rising junior Napheesa Collier emerged as an elite player during a breakout sophomore season, leading the team in scoring (20.4 points).

UConn rising junior Napheesa Collier emerged as an elite player during a breakout sophomore season, leading the team in scoring (20.4 points).